Rockville: Coyote that attacked 2 women, 1 boy was rabid

Coyote (Getty Images/iStockphoto/FantasyImages)

The coyote that was killed after attacking three people in Rockville, Maryland, on Thursday tested positive for rabies, town officials announced Friday.

The coyote attacked a 59-year-old woman and her dog at about 10 a.m. Thursday around Windsor Court; a 12-year-old boy on the Upper Watts Branch Trail at Nelson Street and College Parkway; and a 39-year-old woman around Redland and Gaither roads, the town said in a release.

The three people were treated and released for injuries; the dog is being quarantined.

The Rockville police said they found the coyote along West Gude Drive at about 4:45 p.m., and that the coyote charged at an officer.

The officer shot the coyote, who ran into a wooded area near Aster Boulevard and Carnation Drive.

They found the coyote with a thermal imaging camera and put it down.

Rockville asked anyone who may have had contact with the coyote to call the Montgomery County Health Department at (240) 777-1755 to talk about what should be done next.

Rabies is fatal to people if it is left untreated.

Rick Massimo

Rick Massimo came to WTOP, and to Washington, in 2013 after having lived in Providence, R.I., since he was a child. He's the author of "A Walking Tour of the Georgetown Set" and "I Got a Song: A History of the Newport Folk Festival."

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